Sacramento Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Conspiring to Sex Traffic Woman in San Diego

SAN DIEGO – Darell Davis of Sacramento was sentenced in federal court today to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $9,950 in restitution for conspiring to sex traffic an 18-year-old woman by coercion and physical violence.

On September 11, 2025, Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking through force, fraud, or coercion. His guilty plea stemmed from conduct spanning from December 15, 2022, to January 11, 2023, when Davis transported the victim from Sacramento to San Diego to sell her body for his financial gain.

Davis created commercial sex advertisements featuring the victim on an adult website and kept a ledger of all the victim’s prostitution earnings, as well as a ledger on earnings of at least two other women under his control. Davis also kept notes of all the “blades,” the geographical locations for street-based prostitution, in various cities.

On January 10, 2025, the victim contacted the San Deigo Police Department for help and identified her trafficker by his moniker, “Benzo.” The victim told investigators that she first met Davis when she was 17 years old and was introduced to the pimping and prostitution subculture. The victim also stated that Davis explained the prostitution rules, set a daily quota that she was required to earn, and made her work six days a week and up to 10 to 14 hours a day. The victim’s location was even electronically tracked by Davis through a tracking application and all her earnings went to Davis. The victim reported physical abuse and fear based on Davis possessing a handgun.

On January 11, 2023, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force arrested Davis outside a hotel in Chula Vista. Upon the execution of a search warrant of the room Davis was staying in, investigators recovered a loaded non-serialized handgun and ammunition.

“The smiles in online ads are a mask,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “Behind the misleading photos are coerced victims being controlled, threatened and abused while traffickers cash in. This is exploitation at its ugliest; victims treated as a disposable product, not human beings.”

“Sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion is a terrible crime that has no place in California,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The California Department of Justice-led San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is committed to putting a stop to human trafficking, and to holding accountable those who prey on Californians for their own financial gain. I’m grateful to our law enforcement partners for their collaboration, and to the U.S. Attorney’s office for their work to prosecute this case. When we work together, we get results.”

If you are living or working under threat of violence or extortion, or you suspect someone else may be, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center toll free, 24/7 Hotline: CALL: (888) 373-7888 or TEXT BeFree or 233733.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Ko and Lyndzie M. Carter.

DEFENDANT                                                Case Number 23-cr-00549-LL

Darrell Davis                                      Age: 22                                   Sacramento, California

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking through Force, Fraud or Coercion – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1594(c)

Maximum penalty: Up to life in prison and $250,000 fine

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

San Diego Police Department

San Diego County District Attorney Office

Department of Homeland Security Investigations

Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Diego

San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force

The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is a cooperative effort involving the California Department of Justice, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

This case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Special Victims Unit.  Formed in April 2025, the SVU is tasked with leading collaborations between federal and local law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of cases involving sex trafficking and child exploitation, civil rights, and labor trafficking. The SVU oversees the Southern District of California liaisons to the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and Project Safe Childhood.